National Theatre on Arcot Road Marked Virugambakkam's Cinema Era

National Theatre once stood on Arcot Road in Virugambakkam during an era when the western parts of Madras, particularly the Kodambakkam-Vadapalani-Saligramam belt, were emerging as the core of the Tamil film industry. Situated near prominent film production centres such as AVM, Vijaya-Vauhini, and Prasad studios, the theatre provided a modern film-viewing experience in the expanding neighbourhood.

By the 1960s, the venue had been equipped with advanced screening technology, including a Bauer B.14 Klang sound system and a Perlex panoramic screen. The cinema hall was established by National Company, a firm founded by N. Munusamy Mudaliar. Mudaliar began his career in the early 1940s doing plumbing maintenance across government properties, including Raj Bhavan, before securing PWD contracts and registering National Company in 1954.

According to Gopalakrishnan Venkateswaran, who worked for the firm's auditors, the business later undertook multiple government projects and expanded into cinema operations. The company built and operated two movie halls, located in Tambaram and Virugambakkam. The Virugambakkam theatre stood on the site now occupied by Chandra Metro Mall on Arcot Road.

Virugambakkam was predominantly rural before joining the Madras Corporation in the late 1970s, according to long-time resident G. Ramakrishnan. The locality featured agricultural plots, mango groves, small lakes, and ponds, with few homes and limited civic infrastructure.

Former resident Ravi Subramanian recalled travelling on foot from Jagannath Nagar in Arumbakkam through unpaved, unlit paths and thorny vegetation to visit the theatre. Prior to visiting National Theatre, residents in Arumbakkam relied on temporary tent venues known as Touring Talkies, where audiences sat on sand floors. National Theatre provided upgraded seating, acoustics, and projection, serving as a primary entertainment destination for local families as residential settlements expanded across the area.